Evan Buttemer

Evan Buttemer is a freelance violist and inventor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) in 2010, studying under Jodi Levitz. As a member of the Chamber Music Masters program at SFCM, Evan has performed chamber music with prominent musicians such as Menahem Pressler, Ian Swensen, Norman Fischer, and Kim Kashkashian. As a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2009 and 2010, he performed under the baton of James Levine, Kurt Masur, and Michael Tilson Thomas. He currently plays regularly with the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

Evan has also been involved in many less-than traditional musical projects. In 2010, he toured North America as part of “Star Wars in Concert,” and more recently toured the US and Canada with the traditional Persian vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian, as part of “Colors of Transcendence.” He can be heard on the soundtrack to the motion picture “Looper,” and has done other projects with the Magik*Magik orchestra, including performances with John Vanderslice, Nick Cave, the band Chicago, and Sting.

Evan enjoys technical pursuits as well, and owns a patent on an adjustable chinrest system (available soon!). He has built his own computer-controlled CNC machine, and uses the facilities at TechShop in San Francisco to design and build many different functional and artistic creations.